Preseason MLB Injury News and Fantasy Baseball Injury Updates - Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, Lancy Lynn, Riley Greene and More

We have made it to the final week of the preseason. Opening Day is just around the corner. Fantasy drafts have been going on and are winding down as we get ready to see a full baseball season following a quiet few months of the offseason because of the MLB lockout. Very little injury information […]

Proposed Deal Involving Eric Hosmer Hits A Snag

The proposed deal between the San Diego Padres and New York Mets that would have sent first baseman Eric Hosmer, starting pitcher Chris Paddack, reliever Emilio Pagan and cash to the Mets for first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith has hit a snag and may be off entirely. The Mets are looking for more pitching with ace […]

Dustin May Throws First Bullpen Session

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Dustin May (elbow) threw his first bullpen session of the spring on Saturday after having Tommy John surgery last May. May appears to be right on track, but the 24-year-old right-hander still probably won't make his 2022 season debut until the second half of the year, making him useless in most […]

Guardians, Emmanuel Clase Finalize Extension

The Cleveland Guardians and closer Emmanuel Clase agreed to a five-year, $20 million contract extension on Saturday. The deal includes a $2 million signing bonus and two options at $10 million each for 2027 and 2028. The buyouts on both options are for $2 million, while escalators can bring the maximum on the options to […]

Garrett Crochet To Have Tommy John Surgery

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Garrett Crochet (elbow) will have Tommy John surgery and will miss all of this season. The talented 22-year-old left-hander left his Cactus League outing early on Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds, and he could also be delayed to start next season. Crochet was in line to transition to a starting […]

Craig Kimbrel Officially Named Dodgers Closer

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has confirmed that newly acquired reliever Craig Kimbrel will start the season as the team's closer, according to Fabian Ardaya. Kimbrel, who was traded from the Chicago White Sox on Friday for A.J. Pollock, pitched to a 2.26 ERA with 100 strikeouts over 59.2 innings in 2021, adding 24 […]

Liam Hendriks Allows One Run On Friday

Chicago White Sox right-hander Liam Hendriks allowed one run over two-thirds of an inning in a 12-4 loss to the Oakland A's in Cactus League action on Friday. Hendriks struck out two, walked one and allowed one hit in the outing. The veteran right-hander has made five appearances this spring, allowing three runs over 4 […]

JB Branson's Bold Predictions for 2022 Fantasy Baseball

Welcome back to everyone's favorite series, the time where we allow rowdiness to surpass rationale ever so slightly and plant our flags on hills across the fantasy landscape. It's time for 2022 Bold Predictions. In case you missed it, my colleague Pierre Camus started us off with his bold picks from the leadoff spot. He […]

Players for $1: Salary Cap League Draft Targets for Fantasy Baseball - Dinelson Lamet, Brandon Nimmo, and more

We've already identified hitters and pitchers under $10 to target in salary cap league drafts. For this exercise, we're aiming lower and targeting players for just $1. That rules out roughly the top 350 players in drafts! From this vantage point, some managers may look for high-risk, high-reward plays to strike big with a small […]

Luke Jackson Diagnosed With UCL Damage

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Luke Jackson (elbow) recently underwent an MRI exam that revealed damage to his ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm. Jackson is undergoing more evaluation to determine the next steps. The 30-year-old right-hander complained of forearm tightness this week, and he could be forced to miss significant time. UCL damage is […]

Jordan Romano Throws Successful Bullpen Friday

Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano (ankle) said he had a "pretty encouraging" bullpen session on Friday in which he had full effort with normal velocity and movement. Romano plans to pitch in a minor league game on Sunday and a Grapefruit League game on Tuesday. "Then I'll be ready to go," Romano said. It […]

Ken Giles Shut Down For A Couple Weeks

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Ken Giles (finger) is dealing with a middle finger tendon issue and will be shut down for a couple of weeks. The good news is that surgery is not required, but Giles will obviously miss the start of the regular season and may be out for the first month. The 31-year-old […]

Padres, Mets Discussing Trade Involving Eric Hosmer, Others

The San Diego Padres and New York Mets have been in active conversations about a trade that would send first baseman Eric Hosmer and starting pitcher Chris Paddack to the Mets in exchange for outfielder/first baseman Dominic Smith, according to sources. The potential deal would allow the Padres to unload Hosmer's contract while addressing their […]

Emmanuel Clase Close To Contract Extension

The Cleveland Guardians and closer Emmanuel Clase were close to ironing out a contract extension on Friday. As a rookie last year, Clase went 4-5 with a 1.29 ERA and converted 24 saves in 29 opportunities over 69 2/3 innings pitched. The hard-throwing right-hander registered 100 mph or better on 44% of the 1,057 pitches […]

Scott Engel's Fantasy Baseball Industry Draft Review - 2022 FSGA Experts League

In the final week of March, I was invited to represent RotoBaller in the industry's Fantasy Sports & Gaming Association’s Experts League Draft, which featured 15 teams from various fantasy sports outlets in a 5x5 Rotisserie style format. I will be attempting to win my third FSGA Fantasy Baseball Experts championship this season. I was […]

Updated Fantasy Baseball Closer Rankings and Relief Pitcher Rankings

Welcome back RotoBallers to more fantasy baseball rankings! With Spring Training rolling and the fantasy baseball draft season in full swing, it's time to look at closers and relief pitchers and see who may or may not be fantasy-relevant and worthy of a draft pick this season. RotoBaller's lead MLB rankers - JB Branson, Pierre […]

Updated Fantasy Baseball Points Leagues Draft Rankings - Aaron Nola, Luis Castillo, Jack Flaherty, Justin Verlander and More

And the hits keep on coming! As we deal with a variety of fantasy baseball news and injuries, below you'll find our updated 2022 fantasy baseball points league rankings. These fantasy baseball rankings are meant to reflect recent injuries and player news, and are geared towards points leagues and head-to-head (H2H) points league scoring formats. […]

Garrett Crochet Likely To Need Tommy John Surgery

Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said that relief pitcher Garrett Crochet (elbow) will likely need Tommy John surgery, but he will go for a second opinion. Crochet walked off the field with a trainer on Thursday in his Cactus League outing, and the 22-year-old left-hander is now expected to miss the entire 2022 […]

Dodgers Acquire Craig Kimbrel From White Sox

The Los Angeles Dodgers acquired closer Craig Kimbrel from the Chicago White Sox on Friday in exchange for outfielder AJ Pollock, according to a source. It's great news for Kimbrel's fantasy value, as he was set to open the season in a setup role in front of closer Liam Hendriks in Chicago. Now he'll be […]

Charlie Montoyo Given One-Year Extension

The Toronto Blue Jays extended manager Charlie Montoyo's contract through the 2023 season, according to an industry source. Montoyo's deal also includes two team options through the 2025 season. The 56-year-old skipper is heading into his fourth season with the team after originally signing a three-year deal that included an option for the 2022 that […]

ESPN H2H Points League Primer - Strategy, Bargains and Busts for Fantasy Baseball

Please, everyone just calm down. Don't worry! I'm not gonna do...what everyone thinks I'm gonna do...and FLIP OUT, man!!! I know that this is usually the space where I go on a big rant about ESPN point league coverage and how much they're failing the people by producing content that fails to match the realities […]

Garrett Crochet Injured Thursday

Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Garrett Crochet left his Cactus League outing on Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds with a trainer due to an undisclosed injury. He faced just two batters before something went wrong, and he appeared to be showing some discomfort with his arm, but the exact nature of the injury is unknown. […]

Dylan Floro To Open Season On Injured List

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Dylan Floro (arm) will begin the season on the injured list, but manager Don Mattingly said he's "in a good spot." Floro has been behind in camp because of right arm soreness, but he threw a light bullpen this week and was scheduled to throw another on Friday. It sounds as […]

Pitcher Statcast: Using Sabermetrics for Fantasy Baseball

Statcast metrics such as Barrels and Brls/BBE are great ways to evaluate a batter's performance, so it is only natural to assume that the metrics would be predictive for pitchers as well. As much as batters want to hit a Barrel every time, pitchers want to avoid them at all costs. Yet there is evidence […]

A.J. Puk To Open Season In Bullpen

The Oakland Athletics plan to use left-hander A.J. Puk out of the bullpen to open the regular season. Puk was expected to compete for a spot in the back end of the A's starting rotation this spring, but with the team holding onto Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea for now, Puk will instead open in […]

Jairo Diaz To Throw For Teams Monday

Free-agent right-hander Jairo Diaz will throw for interested teams on Monday in Miami. The hard-throwing reliever didn't make an appearance in a major league game last year due to injury, and he last appeared out of the bullpen in the big leagues in 2020 with the Colorado Rockies, posting a 7.65 ERA and 2.25 WHIP […]

Jordan Romano Has Mild Ankle Sprain

Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Jordan Romano (ankle) has what manager Charlie Montoyo describes as a mild left ankle sprain, although the Blue Jays expect him to be ready for Opening Day next week. Romano sprained his ankle while walking his dog. It's something for fantasy managers to watch, but it shouldn't affect the 28-year-old […]

Royals Pick Up Mike Matheny's 2023 Option

The Kansas City Royals exercised their team option on manager Mike Matheny for the 2023 season on Thursday. Matheny took over as the lead man in Kansas City in 2020 and has led the team to a 100-122 record since. The former big-league catcher was with the St. Louis Cardinals previously for nearly seven years […]

Pete Fairbanks Has 50% Lat Tear

The Tampa Bay Rays will be without relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks (lat) for a minimum of six weeks of no throwing before being re-evaluated. He was diagnosed with a 50% tear of his lat muscle and will need at least six week to build back up when he's cleared to start throwing. It's a tough […]

Relief Pitchers to Target for Holds in 2022 Fantasy Baseball Drafts

Welcome back fellow RotoBallers. One area I implore you to explore is getting your butt into some leagues with Holds as a scoring category. There are far too many stud relievers (that don't get the last out of the game) that get ignored in standard leagues. It's too simple to Google fantasy baseball closer depth […]